Whatever It Takes
by EnglishPixie101
Summary: After Luffy and Usopp are accepted into the local college, they and their two friends, Sanji and Nami, decide to move in together. They all pitch in and purchase a large house just outside of the town. They soon realize, however, that they are not alone.
1. Prologue

Before I start, I want to say how important ANY comments are to me. Comments keep me writing, even if they're about fixing my work, because I know that someone is reading my stories. So please, if you read any of this story, comment.

Prologue

A loud creak sounded through the hall, alerting the man of the upcoming danger. He stood rigid in the doorway, hands gripped firmly around the metal baseball bat he kept by the door. His heart pounded in his chest as he inched down the hall. Sweat formed on his brow, which entangled in his light blue hair.

Another loud creak sounded, making him stop. His hands began to tremble as fear settled in. The grandfather clock chimed, making him jump. The familiar tune rang across the large home, then one toll followed. It was one in the morning. He was tired, sore, and sick of being up late trying to figure out what was in the house. His house.

He sighed, giving up for the night. He dropped the bat to his side and turned back to the bedroom. A dark feeling drifted over him as a pair of eyes glared down at him, gleaming in the dim slight shining from the room behind him. Before the man could make a sound, the eyes above him disappeared and a piercing pain filled his stomach. With a groan, he fell to his knees and clenched his abdomen. Blood oozed from the wound onto his trembling hands.

Doctor. He needed a doctor. Forcing himself onto his feet, he staggered down the hall into the bedroom. He staggered towards the phone, nearly loosing his balance as he reached the nightstand holding it. Falling to his knees, he pressed his head against the cool wood of the night stand. A loud giggle filled the room, making the man's skin crawl. He slowly turned his head and saw the eyes glaring down at him again. The eyes now had a figure, which was large, and muscular in appearance. The man shivered, then fell onto his back, away from the creature. "No..." he whispered. Loud footsteps sounded in the room as the eyes got closer, glaring deep into his soul.

The man attempted to scamper away, only to hit the wall beside the night stand. "P-please," he begged, watching the man get closer. Fear eclipsed his body and he shivered. "I-I don't want to die." The eyes stopped and the footsteps went away. "Y-you understand... r-right?" he asked, hoping the creature would leave him alone.

A loud creak sounded in the room again and a flicker hit the eyes before him. The creature vanished. Footsteps echoed through the room. A high pitched scream filled the air. Then there was nothing. Silence.

The man sat stiff, his heart pounding in his chest. His fists clenched against the floor, turning his knuckles a white color. This house was no longer his, and he intended to leave it.

As he stood up to leave, he saw a shine of something across the room from him. The room appeared to get darker as a morbid feeling crossed over the man. His eyes widened as a hissing sound filled the air. His hands clenched against the floor board, making his knuckles turn a white color. The gleem disappeared, then appeared in front of his face.

His scream pierced through the darkness.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Please review!


	2. Chapter 1

Thank you to the people who reviewed and the one person who added this story to their alert list! That made me feel really good about what I was doing.

I apologize for the wait. I've been working on the story, but bits and pieces at a time. Here's the next chapter, for your reading pleasure.

Chapter 1

Waiting for flights was something Nami never looked forward to. She was sick of sitting outside the terminal in the smelly halls waiting for the plane to land. She sat rigid in one of the uncomfortable chairs and stared at the gate, twirling her red hair with one hand while the other drummed impatiently against the arm rest. Her green and blue tank top was ruffled slightly, and covered the top of her jean shorts. Her blue flip flops were clicking against the floor as she tapped her foot.

Her friend, Sanji, was next to her, leaned against the wall with an unlit cigarette hanging out of his mouth. His blond hair covered one of his blue eyes, but the other eye wondered, trying to find any attractive women in the sea of people. Although he was wearing casual clothes, his t-shirt and jeans appeared to be nicely pressed. There was no sign of age in his clothes at all. His shoes, however, told a different story.

Nami looked impatiently at the clock above the gate. Her eyebrow twitched and she growled as she read the time. "It's ten minutes late," she hissed. Her friend just turned and smiled at her.

"I'm sure that the plane will land shortly," he assured her. She just sighed and stared at the gate again. All she wanted was to get back to their new house.

Suddenly, someone stepped out of the gate with a little girl in tow, who was just laughing. A smile spread across Nami's face. Finally! They could get out of the disgusting airport! Soon, a flood of people came out, causing a large eruption of noise. Nami stood, attempting to see her friends through the crowd. Sanji only stared, trying to pick out the attractive girls of the group.

Nami grew frustrated when her friends didn't appear. She growled slightly, tightening her hands into fists at her sides. As if hearing her frustration, her two friends stepped out of the terminal and into the hallway. She grinned widely and called for them. "Luffy! Usopp!" She began waving her hands in the air, getting their friends' attention. Soon, Luffy broke from the crowd. "Nami!" He ran over, his black hair flopping around. A large smile was covering his face, creating a childish look. His red t-shirt was hanging loosely over the top of his jean shorts. His brown sandals were worn from years of use.

Usopp stumbled out of the crowd, nearly tripping as he attempted to get to his friends. His curly, black hair was pulled back into a loose pony tail. His tan skin was matched with his brown over-alls and black boots. A smile spread across his face as he reached the others. "Hey," he said, relief ringing in his voice.

"How was the flight?" Nami asked, turning and heading for the baggage claim. Usopp sighed and slumped over slightly.

"Sucky," Usopp muttered, before Luffy could start talking.

"It was awesome!" Luffy chimed, grinning from ear to ear, "Usopp sat next to this guy that fell asleep and drooled on his shoulder!" Nami couldn't help but chuckle and Usopp grumbled under his breath. Sanji stuffed his hands in his pockets and kept up, merely listening to the conversation.

"Sounds fun," Nami giggled, getting a glare from Usopp.

"You wouldn't have thought it was funny if you were there," he grumbled. Nami giggled again and Sanji chuckled slightly. As they reached the baggage claim, Nami had quit giggling as Usopp's misfortunes. Luffy finally remembered why they had flown there and turned eruptly toward Nami.

"Is the house nice?" Luffy asked, a grin still spread on his face.

"Yeah," Nami replied, smiling back at him, "It's large enough that we can have our own rooms, with a couple of rooms to spare. We've already moved all of the furniture."

"You mean Sanji moved all of the furniture in," Usopp stated, trying to get the real story.

"With the movers, of course," Nami chimed, and Usopp answered with a sigh.

"I can't wait to see it!" Luffy yelled with enthusiasm. Near by people began to stare, but none of them minded. They only smiled at him, and Nami giggled slightly.

With a loud ring, the baggage claim ramp began to turn, getting Luffy's attention.

"Woah!" Luffy cheered, then ran over to watch the the bags.

"Don't you DARE get on that!" Nami yelled after him, getting the expected whiny cry from Luffy. He, however, did as he was told and only watched the bags as they came onto the belt.

"Grab our bags when they come up!" Usopp yelled at him, watching from the back. Nami sighed, and shook her head.

"He's entertained by the simplest things," she muttered, earning a nod from Usopp. Suddenly, Sanji was by a group of girls, happily taking their luggage off of the belt. Many of the girls giggled and flirted with him while others rolled their eyes.

"He's always got to impress the ladies," Usopp muttered.

"I GOT THEM!" Luffy yelled over the crowd and ran back to Usopp and Nami. Sure enough, Luffy had dragged their bags behind them. Usopp grabbed his, which had large wheels so he didn't have to pick it up. Luffy's was just a large, black bag which he slung over his shoulder. Nami smiled, then turned towards Sanji's direction.

"We're leaving, Sanji-kun!" she chimed before turning and heading toward the exit.

"Yes, Nami-swan!" he sang out, leaving the group of girls and dancing after her. As they exited the building, Sanji lit his cigarette and calmed down to his sane self again.

The parking lot was filled with all sorts of different vehicles. Finding anything that wasn't the size of a house proved to be difficult. Nami and Sanji looked around and Usopp managed to keep Luffy from touching every new car that they passed by. After slight struggle, they found Sanji's blue convertible sitting, top up in the middle of the lot. The paint had just been done, since Sanji was quite keen on picking up girls with his car.

He popped the trunk as Luffy ran toward it. Usopp managed to keep up and open the trunk before Luffy could even attempt to touch it. Luffy threw his back into the back with quite a bit of force, then went to the side, opened the back door, and climbed it. Usopp placed his back next to Luffy's and shut the trunk before heading towards the other side and getting in.

As they put on their seatbelts, Sanji opened the door for Nami, then walked around and got into the driver's seat. The car roared to life when Sanji turned the ignition. A smile spread on his face as he backed up and exited the parking garage and headed toward their new home.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Oh, please do review. I enjoying hearing from you guys!


	3. Chapter 2

Thanks for the review and the favorite!

Here's the next chapter.

Chapter 2

As Sanji pulled his car into the driveway, Luffy nearly lost his mind. He practically jumped out of the car and ran towards towards the house, laughing all the way. Nami growled softly as she stepped out of the car. "Luffy! Come back and get your bag!" Luffy didn't hear her as she opened the front door and ran inside. Nami sighed, rubbing her forehead with her right hand and placing her left hand on her hip.

"Don't worry about it, Nami-swan," Sanji insisted, closing the driver's side door and smiling at her, "I'll take his bag inside."

"Thank you," she answered as Sanji unlocked the trunk. As Usopp and Sanji pulled the two bags out of the back of the car, Nami made her way towards the house.

Since Luffy just left the door wide open, they just walked into the house. The main room was filled with blue furniture which surrounded a fire place. A large book shelf was placed next to one of the large sofas, in easy reach for Nami. The book shelf, however, was currently empty, with all of her books placed in a box on the sofa.

The floors were wood, and echoed their footsteps through the house. Luffy's thumping upstairs could be easily heard through the ceiling. Nami sighed, rolled her eyes, and went to the bottom of the stairs. "YOU'D BETTER NOT BREAK ANYTHING!" Usopp stood next to her.

"Which room is mine?" he asked, starting to head up the stairs.

"It doesn't matter," Nami answered, "The one at the end of the hall is mine, and the last one on the right is Sanji's."

"Alright, thanks," Usopp replied, smiling at Nami before climbing up the rest of the stairs. Sanji followed, heading into the hall.

There were eight rooms in the hall, two of which were bathrooms. Usopp peered in each room, trying to figure out which best suited him. Luffy's laughter could be heard from the second room on the right. "This room is mine!" he yelled, jumping on the bed. Sanji sighed, glaring at him slightly before tossing Luffy's bag on the floor.

Usopp walked into the room across the hall, surprised by the amount of space. "There's enough room for my easel and I'll still have enough space to walk around," he said to no one in particular. He walked towards the brown sheeted bed and placed his bag on it.

"I thought you would like this one," Sanji said in the doorway. Usopp looked back to see he was leaning on the frame. "Nami-san didn't really care for the room, but it is the largest room in the hall."

"Why didn't she like it?" Usopp asked.

"The colors."

"Ah." Silence fell between them. Sanji quietly lit his cigarette and puffed air into the hallway. The sound of Luffy's laughter broke the silence as he ran into Usopp's room.

"My room is awesome!" he exclaimed, grinning at the two of them. "What about yours, Usopp?"

"I like it," Usopp replied, smiling back, "It's big fo-"

"Your room is huge!" Luffy yelled.

"Yeah, I'm sure that some anaconda lives here! We'll have an epic batt-" Luffy ran towards Usopp's bed and laid on it.

"Your bed is soft!" Luffy yelled.

"I will strangle him with my bare hands an-"

"All of the beds in the house are soft," Sanji interupted.

"When he tries to bite me, I'll-"

"Really?!" Luffy interupted.

"Will you guys listen to me!" Usopp yelled, glaring at the two of them. Sanji chuckled a little and Luffy sat up, grinning at Usopp.

"Hey!" Nami yelled from downstairs, "I need help with my books! All of you get down here!"

"Yes, Nami-swan!" Sanji yelled, practically skipping down the hall to the stairs.

"Luffy, can you tell Nami I'll be there in a few minutes," Usopp said, smiling at him, "I want to set up my easel and make sure nothing's broken."

"Sure!" Luffy chimed before running out of the room and down the hall. Usopp turned to his back to his bag and opened it. His easel was set on top rather carefully, to make sure that he didn't break the wood. He carefully took it out and examined it. Then he put it together and set it at the end of the bed.

The easel was in perfect shape. It was as if he had just gotten the thing yesterday, although he's had it for several years. He smiled, then pulled his large folder out of it. After setting the container on the bed, he opened it and examined all of the brushes. When he was satisfied, he closed the container and turned to leave.

As he made it to the door, a giggle sounded through the room. He jumped in his skin, then turned around slowly. There was nothing there. Usopp sighed softly. "It must have been Nami," he muttered, before turning back around and heading down the hall.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Please review!


	4. Chapter 3

Thank you for the reviews, alerts, and favorites! I'm sorry for the long wait, but I promise I'm still here and working.

Here's the next chapter!

Chapter 3

Due to all of the unpacking and other related stress, night came in a rush. Usopp flopped down on the couch and sighed just as the grandfather clock next to the kitchen door rang. It was ten o'clock now, but the house was just as lively as it was when they first arrived. Mainly due to the other new house-mate.

Luffy flopped down just above his head and groaned. "Sanji," he whined, his arms wrapped around his abdomin. "I'm hungry." In a silent reply, Sanji went into the kitchen and turned on the light.

Nami suddenly stood in front of Usopp and Luffy, her hands on her hips. "Now, we need to discuss payment." Usopp glared at her slightly, and Luffy cocked his head to the side.

"Payment?" Luffy asked.

"What, you think you can live here for free?" she asked.

"I help to pay," Usopp stated. Nami looked at him and smiled.

"I know," she answered, "You don't have to pay much. Just one thousand dollars." Usopp shot up in a sitting position, eyes wide.

"One thousand dollars?!" he yelled, his voice filled with anger, "Are you kidding me?!"

"That's not bad," Nami shrugged, smiling at him, "Luffy owes me twenty five thousand dollars."

"Yeah, I owe her twenty-five..." Luffy started, then his voice faded. His eyes became wide and he stared at Nami. "How am I going to pay that?!"

"Get a job," Nami insisted, smiling at him before walking towards the kitchen, "You'll manage." Usopp sighed, then laid back down, his right arm covering his eyes. They were quiet before Luffy jumped up from the couch.

"Let's play a game, Usopp!" he exclaimed, suddenly forgetting his debt to Nami while jumping up and down in front of the couch. Usopp lifted his arm slightly to look at him before sighing.

"Not now, I'm tired," Usopp groaned before placing his arm back over his eyes. Luffy just grinned and started poke at him.

"Come on!" he yelled, "It'll be fun!" Usopp sighed before sitting up.

"Since you're not going to let me sleep," he muttered. A cheer rang from Luffy and his arms flung in the air.

"Race you upstairs!" he shouted, running toward the staircase. Usopp jumped up and ran after him.

"That's not fair!" Usopp yelled, "I was still sitting down!" Luffy only laughed, which echoed down the staircase. When Usopp reached the top of the stairs, Luffy wasn't there. There was no sign of him anywhere.

Usopp felt his knees begin to shake as he looked around at the rooms next to him. "Luffy?" he asked, his voice soft, having a slight squeak in it. He tip-toed his way down the hall, trying to find his friend. As two hands reached out and touched his shoulders, Usopp let out a high-pitched screech. He faintly heard Sanji asked, "Are you alright, Nami-san?" Thinking that the screech belonged to her. Usopp turned abruptly and then glared at the person behind him.

Luffy began to laugh, holding his sides. He leaned forward just enough so that Usopp could see Nami and the top of the stairs. Her hands were on her hips and an evil look crossed her face. Usopp felt his face pale as Nami walked towards them. "Luffy!" she screeched, grabbing his ear and pulling his back. Luffy immediately stopped laughing at pouted at Nami.

"Whaaaaat?" he whined, his buttom lip sticking out, "I was just trying to have fuuun."

A giggle filled the air around them.

"See, you thought it was funny too," Luffy said, grinning at her. Nami frowned, his face turning paler.

"That wasn't me," she said, almost whispering. A chill ran down Usopp's spine and his fists clenched at his sides.

"Then who was it?" Usopp asked. Luffy only shrugged then grinned at the two of them.

"Maybe Nami's lying," Luffy inferred, getting a dark glare from her.

"I am NOT lying!" she yelled. Luffy laughed at ran down the stairs with Nami following. Usopp went into a state of panic.

"Wait!" he yelled, chasing after them, "Don't leave me up here alone!"

-----------------------------------------------------------------

I know, it was a long wait. Please review! I appricate it!


	5. Chapter 4

Thank you for the reviews and things! It made me feel really good to read those.

Here's the next chapter.

Chapter 4

As Luffy reached the bottom of the steps, he caught the scent of the kitchen. "Food!" he yelled, bounding into the room to see Sanji placing the prepared dishes on the table, a cigarette hanging loosely out of the corner of his mouth. Luffy took a seat randomly and began devouring the contents on his plate.

Nami stepped in, which sent Sanji into his normal craze. "Nami-swan!" he chimed, hearts practically pouring out of his eyes, "This spot's yours!" He guided Nami to her spot next to him. She smiled at him, which lit up her face and made some of the color return.

"Thank you, Sanji-kun," she answered, then sat in her spot. She began to eat slowly, savoring the taste.

The first bite nearly melted in her mouth, the texture of the meat dancing elegantly on her taste buds. The tingle of the spices tickled the roof of her mouth. She sighed, bringing in the taste into her throat.

She was so into the taste that she didn't notice Usopp walk into the kitchen. The color had drained from his face, earning concern from the cook. "Are you alright, Usopp?" Sanji asked, getting Usopp's eyes to float towards him. "You don't look so well." Usopp shrugged, then started to eat. He didn't want Luffy to steal anything off of his plate while he tried to explain anything.

Nami sensed the avoidance and smiled at Sanji. "He's probably just really tired," Nami inferred, smiling at the blond. "It has been a long day." Sanji nodded, then turned to his food.

They ate in silence, save for Luffy's disgusting noises while he attempted to chew and swallow mouth fulls of food. When he finished his plate, he attempted to steal from Usopp's, who ended up stabbing him with his fork and glaring at him.

Finally convienced that he wasn't going to able to steal from anyone, Luffy left the table with a yawn, said something about sleep, and walked up stairs to his bedroom. The other three finished eating and sat at the table for a while.

After a while, Sanji got up and began to gather the dishes. A little later, Nami stood up as well and stretched. "Dinner was great," Nami remarked, getting a grin from Sanji.

"Thank you, Nami-swan," he sang. After a moment, she sighed and drooped her shoulders slightly.

"I'm going to sleep," she said to no one in particular before turning and heading out of the room. Sanji bid her good-night before turning back to the sink and turning on the water. Usopp sat there for a moment before deciding he would just go to bed and pretend nothing had happened that day.

He left the kitchen and headed up the stairs, practically dragging himself up. As he got to his bedroom he flopped down on the bed, not bothering to change into what he usually slept in.

Usopp didn't even remember falling asleep, but when he woke up it was dark. He could hear Luffy's obnoxiously loud snoring from across the hall. Usopp sighed and tired to fall back asleep when a realization hit him. He had to use the restroom.

With a sigh, Usopp got out of bed and walked like a zombie to the bathroom next to his room. He switched on the light, revealing the bland colors and lack of anything eye catching in the room. He closed the door and walked towards the toilet.

As he went pee, he stared at nothing in particular. His eye lids were dropping slightly and the area around him became a little fuzzy.

Without warning, a shrill screech filled the room.

Usopp's eyes shot open and he stumbled back, grabbing his pants and pulling them up. His hands squeezed the waist line, as he jerked his head around, trying to find the cause of the noise.

His hands shook as he buttoned his pants and re-did the zipper. As he turned to run out of the room, a piercing pain went into his back. He let out a painful yelp before landing on the floor, knocking over the soap dispenser on the sink with a loud thud.

Usopp's heart pounded through his ears as he attempted to figure out what had happened. A shadow loomed his body and he swallowed, then turned on his back pitifully.

A dark figure stood over him, glaring down. Something was in his left hand, but Usopp couldn't make out what it was in the dim light. His hands clenched against the tile floor as he tried to scamper back, only to hit the closed door. His eyes turned to the object in the figure's hand, only to see that it was his hand and a red liquid was dripping off of it. He faintly felt something ooze out of the wound in his back. Something warm.

A whimper slipped out of his mouth as he bit his bottom lip. The figure inched closer, a devious grin printed on his face. Finally, Usopp let out a wail and attempted to reach for the doorknob.

Suddenly, the door opened and he fell backwards into the hall. "What is wrong with you?!" a familiar voice demanded. He looked to see Nami and Sanji standing over him, with rather pissed off looks etched across their faces.

Usopp looked back into the bathroom to see that the figure was gone, then looked back at his friends. "There was something in there!" he yelled, then attempted to sit up. The pain in his back throbbed and he let out a cry before falling down on his back. The two looked at each other, then back at Usopp. Sanji knelt down next to him.

"What-"

"My back is killing me," Usopp whined, his eyes squeezed closed in agony. Sanji hesitated before pushing Usopp onto his stomach. Nami gasped as his wound came into view.

A large gash has appeared on his back with blood seeping out of it.

----------------------------------------------------------------

I looked forward to writing this chapter! I am an action loving person, you know.

Please review!


End file.
